My alterations were $720!!!!!!!!!!!

I had my first fitting yesterday and after all the alterations were added up, it cost me $720! I just cannot believe it. I’m still in shock. My dress was $1100!!! Wouldn’t they have warned me when I bought the dress that the alterations were almost the cost of the dress?? The hemming is $350, taking in the zipper is $150, adding in some sticky thing on the bust to make it so it doesn’t fall down is $75, bustle is expensive. It’s not like I’m asking for other things to be done to the dress rather than normal things.

I was honestly expecting $400 max. What they did was have me order the dress 2 sizes up and so it almost fell off of me when I tried it on. One alterations lady came in and was like “WOW! Who the heck ordered that size for you?” and then proceeded to pull the dress up and in so it fit me perfectly.

Then the other alterations lady who barely spoke English was pinning the dress and she had my boobs hanging out and the dress wasn’t pulled in at all, and she claimed it fit me…but the other alterations lady and everyone with me said that it definitely could go a lot tighter. She had the dress looking like a box on me and the other lady had me looking like I had curves.

I’ve been told by people who have worked at bridal salons that they deliberately order larger than your size, as to drive your alterations up (assuming you will have them done there). Now, I’m sure some would deny this and it doesn’t likely happen everywhere, but I know it happened to me. It was more cost effective for me to have ordered a new dress, which is what I did.

My original alterations (hem and bustle) cost $350. The woman completely screwed up my dress, so it is at another seamstress to get fixed. The second price tag is $470. Grand total for alterations..$820 :/

Wow, that is a lot in comparison to the cost of the dress. Are you able to get another quote elsewhere? It’s a pity they ordered the dress 2 sizes too big 🙁 that will definitely be contributing to the excessive alteration cost.

lauraashley09: Did you ask them what the cost of alterations would be when you ordered the dress ? Or when you ordered the alterations?

Sometimes the laterations can’t be avoided as we have to order the dress to fit the largest part of our body. Sometimes it seems like they do deliberately order the dress too big in order to make more money from the alterations.

It’s not always a bad thing to have them done at the same place, although it can mean that they have a vested interest in having you buy the dress two sizes too big because it makes them more money in the end. I was more wondering if it was a David’s Bridal, because I’ve heard horror stories about their alteration prices.

I had my alterations done at the same salon I bought the dress from. Mine was a La Sposa with about a hundred layers of tulle (or at least it seemed like it) and an illusion neckline that needed to be altered. I had the dress hemmed, top fixed, and bustle made for $250. Your costs seem really high.